Senate Committee OKs Bills On State Funding For Lateral Water, Sewer Lines

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Monday approved several wastewater infrastructure bills and a bill to change the makeup of the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board with an amendment to fill a gap in funding for DEP’s Storage Tank Program.

The bills include--

-- Senate Bill 334 (Fontana-D-Allegheny) authorizing a municipality or authority to include private lateral rehabilitation or replacement of sewer lines in PennVEST funding applications - no new funding source identified (sponsor summary);

-- Senate Bill 639 (Fontana-D-Allegheny) authorizing a municipality or authority to include private lateral rehabilitation or replacement of water lines in PennVEST funding applications - no new funding source identified (sponsor summary);

-- Senate Bill 692 (Blake-D-Lackawanna) amends to Sewage Facilities Act to increase what a local agency may charge from $25 to $100 (sponsor summary); and

-- House Bill 290 (Metzgar-R-Bedford) providing for legislative appointments to the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board was amended to include language from Senate Bill 649 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) filling a gap in funding for DEP’s Storage Tank Program and extending the sunset date for the environmental cleanup programs for storage tanks.  (Click Here for more.)

The bills now go to the full Senate for action.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) serves as Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and can be contacted by sending email to: gyaw@pasen.gov.   Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by sending email to: yudichak@pasenate.com.